


let us set the city aflame

by Tobi_Black



Series: Let Us 'verse [45]
Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rise of Empire Era - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: #Mace's reaction to Obi-Wan's . . return, Alternate Universe - Clone Rebellion, Gen, Post-Order 66
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:13:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24210394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tobi_Black/pseuds/Tobi_Black
Summary: Over the many years he’d known Obi-Wan’s lineage – from Yoda to Ahsoka – there were many times that he bemoaned ever meeting the whole host of sassy, trolling, independent DRAMA QUEENS. Because he couldn’t escape getting caught up in the chaos they caused.Then Obi-Wan tried to out-do them all with how he came out of the ether like some Sith-cursed artifact.Qui-Gon must be so proud of his Padawan.
Relationships: Mace Windu & 187th, Mace Windu & Rys, Mace Windu & Windu's Army, Mace Windu & Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Mace Windu
Series: Let Us 'verse [45]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1076118
Comments: 22
Kudos: 289





	let us set the city aflame

**5 BBY**

It was probably lucky that he’d let the younglings splinter off for the mid-day meal with the graduates of Rancor clan when the quiet background noise of Imperial propaganda was interrupted by a broadcast from the Outer Rim. Specifically, the _Vengeance_ in the Arkanis sector of the Outer Rim, not far from _Tatooine._

Considering that he was certain it would be a sweltering hot day on Ilum before Vader ever went _near_ Tatooine of his own violation – and anyone who knew that Vader had been Skywalker would know _that –_ Mace suddenly had a Feeling that he had the answer for where Obi-Wan had been for the last fifteen years.

A Feeling that was nearly immediately proven right when the broadcast featured _Obi-Wan_ in the flesh, dramatically dropping his robe to show off jedi-esque tunics on _Vader’s flagship._

“That frekkin’ sonova-!!” He _knew_ Obi-Wan had learned the art of trolling _too-frekking-well_ from Yoda; he’d _known it_. He’d just thought it would have stopped at being on Naboo, as a taunt to Palpatine, since he’d managed to get off Coruscant before it became virtually impossible for any Jedi to come or go off the city-plant and thus _couldn’t be right under the Sith’s frekking nose_.

Because he _would_ have done that. He _had_ done it to Dooku, more than once.

No, he just had to go to _Tatooine_ – because what _other_ planet in that sector would be as effective of a taunt as _Tatooine_ if his target was his former padawan – before _somehow_ getting on the _Vengeance_. Somehow sneaking aboard _and_ being loose on the ship – with equal odds on just having gotten onboard unnoticed and/or as an escaped prisoner – and the frekking nerf-herder goes to _comms_ to tell the _whole-fracking-Empire_ he was there.

Watching Obi-Wan, looking scruffy with his beard and hair streaked with grey, start to smile with deadly promise beneath faux-serenity, Mace stood up and flipped the table he’d been trying to eat at, “NOW! THAT MOTHERFUCKER!! SHOWS HIS FACE!?!”

Because it didn’t matter what he _said._

That flash of teeth was the nearly the same as the one he’d given when Yoda had tried to suggest another train Skywalker after Qui-Gon’s death. It was also almost the not-smile that he’d given after the Senate refused to give the clones human rights on top of demanding the Jedi lead them into war.

The first had resulted in him nearly tucking Skywalker under one arm and disappearing into the ether of stardust and hyperspeed with only his lightsaber left behind, to maybe never be seen again, because they’d refuse to let him fulfill his master’s last request. The second had gotten him to spend any spare moment he wasn’t planning battles and trying to win a war, looking for whatever loophole would let him grant one – and thus could argue for all – Republic citizenship even if it meant he invalidated the GAR’s existence.

Both times massive shatterpoints that in retrospect could have drastically changed the fate of the galaxy if _Obi-Wan_ had just made a different choice. And another massive one broke over him _now_ , with that _smile_ that said _try me_.

Said: _you haven’t won the war, just some battles_.

Said: _this is the hill I’ll die on, so one way or another, this ends_ now.

It _meant_ that Obi-Wan was ready and willing to fight the Empire – the specifics for _why now_ could wait until later. Mace had only remained hidden as to not endanger the younglings in his care, even when he’d finally gotten a valuable lead on Caleb’s current status and wanted to _go_.

This last year though he’d seen shatterpoint after shatterpoint break, with the Force whispering that _change_ was coming and he had trusted the Force when it had whispered that it was not time for him to come out of hiding.

Now, though, the Force _sang_ of _hope_ and _second chances_. The Light _brighter than any sun_.

It made it _easy_ to meet the eyes of all those wearing a stripe of purple and give a mirror of Obi-Wan’s smile, to reach for and take up the durasteel long staff he’d practiced with in place of his lightsaber for most of the last decade, and decide to stop _hiding_.

His anger and grief still simmered like embers, but they were banked in favor of _finally_ getting _justice_ – not vengeance – for Depa, and for so many others who’d joined the Force so early and suddenly when they should have had _decades_.

As he walked out onto the street, he was joined by first a few, then many – with most but not all wearing a stripe of purple – while he made for an old enemy.

He force-pushed the first patrol of stormtroopers he came across into a wall, save for one. The one, who at the sight of him, immediately dropped his blaster, “General!”

The Force was practically _flooded_ with the clone trooper’s relief to see him, all at once just so happy and so guilty and full of regrets, while several shatterpoints broke all around him; a whole new future decided in an instant

“ _Su cuy’gar?_ ” A breathless whisper escaping the familiar clone in his disbelief, before he wavered in place and nearly fell to his knees, “You _survived_ \- We thought _you died_ even _before_ -”

Mace moved forward without thinking, to catch him before he collapsed completely as a wordless, buoyant and rapt noise escaped the clone, “ _You’re alive!_ Fifteen years we’ve thought _you died_ , and you’ve been _here_ the _whole time_ , right under our _buy’ce_.”

“Have a little faith, Jack-knife.”

Jack-knife’s voice was a touch hysterical, “Forgive us that, _ne jetii_ ; there hasn’t been much reason to believe in the Force the last nearly sixteen years. Not after your Force seemed to let my _vode_ kill so many _jetii_ before Cody got our chips out.”

Mace remembered those last few months, when they’d nearly figured out why Tup had turned killer without warning. Remembered all these years where he’d lamented in his meditations how that shatterpoint had broken with Order 66 and _known_ that if he’d just pushed harder when it had come to Fives’ attempt on Palpatine, that maybe none of _this_ would have happened. It was an old hurt, even if he doubted it would ever fully be lanced, but it bled anew to know how much his supposed death had _hurt_ his men. Their misery and guilt strong and coloring their relief in somber colors in the Force.

“ _We_ failed _you_ ; the Force was trying to tell us about the chips, and we didn’t hear it in time. We never felt in danger because you never had any _intention_ to be a threat.” He held out a hand to pull Jack-knife to his feet, “I’ve been here because I _should_ have died then, but I survived, and stayed because I had a padawan and younglings to teach and raise.”

Jack-knife fumbled with his blaster, “ _Appo’s shinies._ ” Mace didn’t need to see his face to know the wide-eyed look of cautious hope and disbelief that he was being looked at with, when he was loudly projecting it in the Force, “They made it all the way down here? Appo gave them the chance to escape into the depths of the Temple, but then we lost any trace of them no matter how hard we looked once we were in our right minds. We didn’t know if they even survived the _night_ , let alone all these years.”

He nodded, and Jack-knife sagged with relief, “The citizens of the lower levels protected them, and then brought them to me. Since then, most stayed with me, acting as older brothers and sisters to each new group of younglings that came to me for training. Some are now on pilgrimages to become Knights, while a few others look for those of our Order most clones never met that escaped the initial Purge. A couple went looking to join the Rebellion.”

Mace started moving again, following in the wake of the rebels sweeping the street house by house starting up a rallying call, “We believed you dead. The _Empire_ thinks you’re dead. You’re safe as can be, why now?” Jack-knife asked, but he already knew the answer, speaking before Mace could, “Cody’s _jetii_. You saw that transmission, then.”

He flashed teeth even as the next patrol of ‘troopers were quickly quieted, and they began the climb level by level, up, “That was an Empire-wide transmission. Obi-Wan’s whole frekking _lineage_ doesn’t _do_ frekking _anything_ by halves. The dramatic fuckers.”

There was a quiet, wry laugh at that.

“Ponds is going to accuse you of being _just_ as dramatic.”

Mace just gave him a pointed look since the clone had already managed to procure some purple paint and decorated three stripes over both sides of his right shoulder to the edges of his breastplate, the same as he’d worn during the Wars.

Jack-knife just laughed, “Mhi copaanir tengaanar cuun alii’gai tug’yc, General!”

It was answered in the near distance, “Slanar ti kote, vod!” Another clone greeting them standing surrounded by the rest of his squad, already downed, smearing dark red lines onto his helmet to complement the red stripes on his chest.

Looking at them was like looking into the past, if not for how they weren’t wearing their phase two armor, but the flimsy stormtrooper armor, as they took back their _identities_ with those designs and splashes of color. Their pride to bear their marks, drawing on tally marks even as he watched, blossomed in the Force, and he didn’t need to remember the mando’a he’d picked up to know the marks may be theirs but the _colors_ were showing their allegiance.

Jack-knife was wearing _purple_ – and he was _touched_ that despite everything, _that_ more than being called ‘General’ told him who Jack was declaring _for_. Still, he asked, because he _had_ to know that they _were_ choosing _him_ , and not just making their stand against the Empire, “You still want me?”

Jack-knife’s focus on him went very sharp, “Cody’s memo was right.” – pointed – “The _jetii_ tried harder than _anyone_ to treat us as people, as individuals, with choices and worth. Neither the Republic nor the Empire treated us as anything better than nameless flesh-droids, interchangeable and disposable. _Yes, we still want you as our Generals_.”

The other trooper nodded, “Akay mhi taab’echaaj’la!” Jack-knife echoed him immediately, “Until we march away!”

They kept moving, level after level, joined by clones with 327-yellow, 501-blue, 212-gold, 104-grey, 41-green, the dark red of the Coruscant Guard freshly painted over stark white.

The whole city-planet rising in open revolt from the ground up.

**Author's Note:**

> Mhi copaanir tengaanar cuun alii'gai tug'yc - We want to display our colors again (roughly)
> 
> Slanar ti kote - Go with glory (roughly)
> 
> Akay mhi taab'echaaj'la - Until we march away


End file.
